A plurality of process modules for conducting processes on a wafer; conveying modules for conveying the wafer, a turnout module for transferring the wafer to/from the conveying module, and a CPU for detecting a trouble occurring in the process module and centrally controlling each of the modules based on a detection signal. When the controller detects the trouble occurring in any one of the process modules, the wafer to be conveyed to the process module where the trouble occurs is conveyed to the turnout module, and conveyance of the wafer before the process module where the trouble occurs is temporarily stopped, and conveyance and processing of the other wafer are continued, and thereafter, conveyance and processing of the wafer before the process module where the trouble occurs are conducted.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A substrate convey processing device comprising: a carrying-in cassette module which accommodates a plurality of substrates; a plurality of process modules which conducts predetermined processes on the substrate; a carrying-out cassette module which accommodates the processed substrates; conveying modules which convey the substrate between each of the process modules; a turnout module from which the substrate is transferred to and from said conveying module; and a controller which detects a trouble occurring in said process module, and centrally controls each of the modules based on a detection signal, wherein the substrate is conveyed from said carrying-in cassette module to each of the process modules in a distributed manner by said conveying module, the substrate is processed by each of the plurality of process modules in a distributed manner, said plurality of process modules are grouped into a plurality of processing blocks, said substrate conveying processing device further comprises transfer modules disposed for said plurality of processing blocks respectively for transferring the substrate between the processing blocks adjacent to each other via said conveying module, and when said controller detects the trouble occurring in any one of the process modules, said controller is configured to determine whether or not the substrate which is originally determined by the controller to be conveyed from said conveying module to the process module where the trouble occurs can be held temporarily by said turnout module and, when said controller determines that said substrate can be held temporarily by said turnout module, said substrate is instead conveyed from said conveying module to said turnout module, conveyance of the substrates before the process module where the trouble occurs is temporarily stopped, and conveyance and processing of the other substrates are continued, and thereafter conveyance and processing of the substrates before the process module where the trouble occurs are conducted.
2. The substrate convey processing device according to claim 1 , wherein said turnout module is one of the transfer modules.
3. The substrate convey processing device according to claim 1 , wherein said turnout module is a buffer module disposed in one of the processing blocks, and capable of transferring the substrate in the processing block.
4. The substrate convey processing device according to claim 1 , wherein conveyance is stopped until the process module is returned from trouble if the turnout module is not usable.
5. The substrate convey processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the turnout module is disposed within one of the processing blocks.
6. The substrate convey processing device according to claim 5 , wherein the turnout module is separate from the transfer modules.
7. The substrate convey processing device according to claim 1 , wherein when said controller determines that said substrate cannot be held temporarily by said turnout module, conveyance of the substrate is stopped until the process module where the trouble occurs returns from trouble.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
January 18, 2006
March 12, 2013
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